first time leo breeder

[ladizzleee]

hello, i was wondering i know female leopard geckos need to be at a certain weight when they breed and i was wondering what months are breeding season? and what should i do with the temps? i would like to know everything i can find out with breeding. I've bred ball pythons for the last 5 years so i have all the incubation stuff down packed.

 

[Dinosaur!]

so, you want to know the proper breeding weights of females, and incubation temps? or the temperatures as in cooling or brumation?

 

[acpart]

Breeding females: absolute minimum 9 months of age and 50 grams. Older and bigger is better.

Breeding season: generally Feb-Aug. though some females ovulate at different times

Temperatures: for breeding females, the same temps as other females. For incubation 80-88, with higher temps producing more males.

Aliza

 

[ladizzleee]

oh okay. right now i have 3 females in a custom tank(bigger than 20g) and they are all about 40-45g. i have 2 ceramic heat lamps on them right now on one side. it keeps that side at about 80-83 because my house is 70 degrees, the cooler side is about 75. i haven't had time to get a heating pad so i can get rid of those lamps. so when its breeding season what should i do to the temperatures of the whole tank?

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Your temps are too cool. Leopard geckos need a warm spot - on the floor, NOT the air temperature - close to 90. Under tank heat is what is really needed. The Ceramic heat emitters can over heat your tank and not heat the floor enough at the same time. The tank needs a gradient, 90 on one side and around 70 at the other end. The proper temps are the proper temps for maintenance and breeding. I don't change a thing in the spring and my leos begin to ovulate regardless.

If you're keeping multiple females together make sure there are several hides at each end (warm and cool) so they don't fight over them and they can get away from one another for some peace and quiet when they want. It is always a good idea to have a back up tank ready and waiting in case they begin to fight or if one female begins to be really stressed out. Breeding takes a lot out of them and when it is combined with competition some girls may need a break to stay healthy.